Celebrate Montana State Parks with Montana jazz trio

Kelly Roberti, Jack Walrath and Phil Aaberg perform three shows at Giant Springs State Park, the Lewis and Clark Caverns and the Makoshika State Park starting this weekend.
(Photo:
Photo courtesy of Sweetgrass Music
)

If a breathtaking Montana landscape was transformed into a musical composition, what might it sound like?

Three successful Big Sky State-bred musicians share their answers to that question this weekend when they perform music inspired by the trickling sounds of the falls at Giant Springs State Park, the vivid gold, yellow and brown stalagmites and stalactites at the Lewis and Clark Caverns and the jagged sandy edges, high canyon walls and wind-swept dinosaur bones at Makoshika State Park.

The Montana Wild Cats — Phil Aaberg on piano, Kelly Roberti on bass and Jack Walrath on trumpet — play shows Saturday at the Lewis and Clark Caverns, Sunday at the Giant Springs State Park and June 28 at the Makoshika. The free performances run from 5 to 7:30 p.m. and are in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of the Montana State Parks.

Aaberg said state parks organizers in Helena came up with the idea for the shows after watching him perform at the Holter Museum. Aaberg said it's fitting for them to be playing in state parks because Montana's beauty is such an integral part of their self-titled jazz album.

"The theme of a lot of our tunes are Montana landscapes and Montana stories and history …," Aaberg said. "All of us experienced growing up here and … we have a shared collective childhood in a way but yet we've taken all our other experiences and worked them into the music."

Aaberg said if someone was to attend all three shows, they likely would hear three different performances because what they play is nearly all improvisational.

"All three of us are improvisers so I expect the music to be made right on the spot to celebrate where we are and what's going on that day," Aaberg said. "Jazz is improvisatory music, and all three of us are real good free improvisers so I'll expect some pretty different stuff will happen musically at each place."

Roberti, who composed a song about Makoshika State Park, said they have an idea of where the pieces will start, but the improvisation will guide where they're going next.

"We have basic formulas for the pieces of music, but funny enough it's jazz in its own way and the pieces are composed but then they're recomposed or rearranged every time we play them," he said.

Aaberg encourages people to show up before the shows and hang out after they're finished to take in the parks' beauty.

"Come and make a day of it. If you haven't seen these parks, it's a great chance to do it and if you have seen them, it's another chance to see them again," he said. "Plus, Giant Springs is the most-visited state park of all the state parks and is just a beautiful spot, but so is Makoshika and the Lewis and Clark Caverns, of course."

Famed Montana artist and Great Falls native Monte Dolack will introduce the trio before each show.

In a statement, Chas Van Genderen, administrator for Montana State parks, said they are honored to have Dolack and the Montana Wild Cats on board to help them celebrate the parks.

"We are excited for the public to experience our state parks in the evening while relaxing with a picnic and enjoying music and art," he said. "Phil Aaberg has written compositions titled 'Makoshika' and 'Marias River Breakdown' — both are named after state parks — this holds a special meaning for us. We are thrilled that artist Monte Dolack will be introducing the jazz trio at each event as he is a great and good friend of our state parks' system. I look forward to seeing you all out at these concerts in the next few weeks."

Montana Wildcats is more than the title of a new album from three of Montana's internationally known musicians, it's also a summation of the musical gifts of Aaberg, Roberti and Walrath.

Walrath attended Berklee School of Music in Boston. He became an arranger and composer with Charles Mingus and played with all the masters of contemporary jazz.

Roberti has played with a who's who of jazz greats. And Aaberg, by the age of 14, was performing with local bands. He left to study music at Harvard University and ended up composing, touring and recording with Elvin Bishop's blues band. He since has recorded countless albums as a leader and sideman. He received a Grammy nomination in 2000 for his album "Live from Montana."

Roberti said being a Montana musician has given him a sense of "elbow room" that allows him to do what he wants without feeling the pressures that an artist from New York or another big city might feel.

"I came back here from Europe in the late '90s, and I found that freedom," he said. "There's all this beautiful space and I can do whatever I want to, play my bass however I want to and write music how I want to. I appreciate that and that's Montana."

The seating for the three shows is on a first-come basis. Picnic dinners are encouraged, and Montana State Park gear and Sweetgrass Music CDs will be available.